Defining HR Software Solutions: Nobody said it was Easy!

Do you know your HRM from your ATS and your TMS? If not, don’t worry. Even people like us, who’ve been around the HR software solutions business for years, get them mixed up sometimes. To eyes both trained and untrained, these three solutions appear to cover the same ground – but in actuality, there’s a world of difference between them. And so for your edification as well as ours, we decided to peel away the gray and set things in black and white once and for all. Without further ado, here are eConscribi’s official definitions of the three most common HR solutions:

HRM:

An HRM (Human Resources Management) solution is an all-inclusive, “pan-company” solution that covers everything related to Human Resource Management. Tasks addressed by an HRM solution include payroll, timesheets and attendance, performance evaluation, benefits administration, an HR information management system, recruiting/educational management, scheduling, absence management, analytics and much more. There are many great HRM solutions on the market that can cover most of a company’s basic requirements. However, as with most things in the business world, you can either go wide or deep, but it’s tough to do both. That’s why the market contains a variety of more specialized, niche solutions within HRM – though admittedly there is some overlap in terms of the areas they cover.

TMS:

A Talent Management System (TMS) is an integrated software suite that addresses the “four pillars” of talent management: Recruitment, Performance Management, Learning and Development, and Compensation Management. Most TMS solutions contain some combination of training and development programs, staff reviews and assessments, disciplinary documents, time sheets and health & safety collateral.

ATS:

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that allows you to handle basic recruitment needs electronically. An ATS’s main purpose is to allow a company to centralize its recruitment database. Since an ATS solution’s main purpose is to centralize information, it may be limited to a few specific tasks, i.e. sourcing and shortlisting of applicants.

eRecruitment Solution:

Ah, now we’re in eConscribi’s wheelhouse! We know all about this stuff :-). An eRecruitment solution is more advanced than an ATS, since it manages multiple aspects of the recruitment process such as scheduling interviews, providing feedback, and candidate status/updates. An eRecruitment solution provides an integrated platform in which candidates, recruiters (and potentially clients) all coexist. As such, eRecruitment can be considered the most complete solution for a company’s hiring process. Most eRecruitment solutions include features like talent attraction (and as a sub-segment – “job creation and distribution”), campaign management, and screening and selection. In some cases, onboarding is also included.

To sum up, let’s highlight the one thing that all four of these solutions have in common: That is, the ability to play an integral role within a company by helping the Human Resources department maximize its efficiency and professionalism. It’s ok to make decisions based on instinct, but having the technology and information at your fingertips to support those instincts is a huge advantage!